B.E. girls take Thanksgiving tourney

The Bishop England Lady Bishops breezed through the Military Magnet Thanksgiving Classic this weekend with two convincing wins to claim tournament championship honors.

Bishop England (2-0) won its two tournament games by a combined 158-32 with its starters playing roughly two quarters per contest.

The defense was smothering, holding opponents to five or less points in six of eight quarters. The Bishops came away with 52 steals this weekend and outrebounded their opponents a combined 92-58.

“Score-wise and all, it is what it is,” Bishop England head coach Paul Runey said. “We knew coming into the tournament we were going to be the better team. So what you’re looking to do is just run some of your stuff, make sure everybody knows what they’re doing and I’m looking to make sure the girls are fundamentally sound.”

Michele Boykin led the charge for the Bishops, averaging a tournament-high 22.5 points per game on 68 percent shooting. The senior wreaked havoc on opposing offenses, stripping ball handlers, disrupting passing lanes and diving to the floor for every loose ball. Boykin racked up 11 steals, playing two quarters per game.

“I had to tell her, after about the fifth time she hits the floor like that she’s coming out,” Runey joked. “She just plays so hard. She’s got a good knack for getting to the ball. She’s just an athlete that wants to win so she’s going to play that hard all the time.”

Mary Harriet Moore was a force in the post, turning in 13 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and three steals per game. Guards Jo Jo Tompkins and Eran Artigues ran the Bishops backcourt, each handing out 3.5 assists per game and committing just three turnovers.

The Lady Bishops opened the tournament Friday with a dominating 75-6 win over the Military Magnet Eagles. Bishop England held Military Magnet to just two field goals in the game on 9 percent shooting and powered through the final three quarters on a 51-2 run.

Stall looked ready to compete in Saturday’s championship game, jumping out to a 6-0 lead on Bishop England. But it didn’t take long for the Bishops to find their rhythm and storm back with a 43-12 run to build a 25-point lead by halftime. Even with reserves, Bishop England stayed hot in the second half, allowing Stall just eight points on the way to a 83-26 win for the tournament championship.

“I liked that the kids were looking for each other and using the correct outlet spaces,” Runey said. “We didn’t make a lot of mental mistakes defensively and I thought we went out there and got the job done.”

Bishop England returns home Wednesday to host the Palmetto Christian Academy Eagles (1-0) at 6:30 p.m. in the frontend of a two-game series.

“I think it was a good start to the season for us this weekend,” Runey said. “This week, we know PCA is going to be pretty good. They’re fundamentally sound, with some good players who can make plays.”

Comments

Notice about comments:

Moultrie News is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. We do not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not Moultrie News.

If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Read our full terms and conditions.